Newbie with a question of course!
 

Hello:

Just picked up an 00 214 Jubilee yesterday with 268 hrs on the meter and so far am thrilled with the quality. The seller hit the nail on the head when he talked about Mariah being the "Mercedes" of boats. Before I started looking for a boat, I hadn't even known about the brand.
Anyway, during my purchase inspection of the boat I noticed a crack in the hull which I brought to the seller's attention. He indicated that the crack had been there for 10 years and it was a normal "stress crack" I went ahead and made the purchase, but want to confirm that it's nothing to be too concerned about before I take her to the lake. Take a look at the pic and tell me it's not a big deal please!


Thanks.

Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

Congratulations on your Mariah and welcome to MOC!
From the photo its a little hard to tell where on the hull that is located, i.e. near the waterline. Good thing about fiberglass is it can be repaired as good as new unlike auto body work. You know, bondo on sheet metal. That is if the crack even needs attention. If it's away from the water you may just quick fix it with some chalk of sorts. These boats were built well but they are getting old. Things settle, flex etc. Bottom line is fiberglass can be repaired.

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Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

Get some white "Marine Tex" fill the crack , put boat in water , go have fun!!
Seriously , definitely looks like a stress crack. As Moto mentioned , where on the hull is it?
Appears to be just above the rub rail , yes?
The Marine Tex will fix you up even if it is below the waterline.:yes_grin:

Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

The crack looks like its on the inside of the hull near the floor?

Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

The crack is in the strake on the outside bottom of the hull, and only on one side. Since I couldn't find any Marine Tex in short order, I went ahead and filled it in with some silicon caulk so I could use the boat today and not be worried. I think I will have it professionally repaired, but fix the less important scratches and gouges myself.

BTW, today was the first day on it and I was more than happy with the boat. Only downside is the 4-blade prop the previous owner had on it, which caused it to take forever to get up to speed. That's got to go ASAP.

Thanks for the responses!

Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

That explains the carpet i saw (on the trailer stringer)...

btw.... a 4 blade prop helps you get out of the hole quicker than a 3 blade. What pitch is on it?

Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

I believe he said it was a 21 pitch.

Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

If its a 21 pitch then yes, you will have trouble getting out of the hole and accelerating but it will give you a decent cruising speed. I would suggest dropping to a 20" or even a 19" 4 blade to help that 5.0L haul the weight of that boat/motor combo around. That 5.0 is kind of a 'compromise' engine between a 4.3 and a 5.7. The 4.3L has better power to weight performance while the 5.7L has much better performance. If you have the $$, i would suggest upgrading that engine to a 5.7L.

I would also suggest adding a pair of Smart Tabs which will help get you onto plane faster, keep you there longer at lower speeds and greatly reduce that low speed wander that our boats have. Use the Search function and enter Smart Tabs if you want to read up on other's experiences with them.

Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

The tabs look like a good idea. So in your opinion, should I go with a 20p with smart tabs, or a 19p with/without the tabs? For reference, I will usually have 4-7 people in the boat.

Re: Newbie with a question of course!
 

I think that if you're carrying that kind of weight around in that boat with that motor you should consider the 19" prop with the Smart Tabs. If you dont want to spend the $$$ on a SS prop, have a look at the Merc Spitfire 4 blade aluminum prop. It looks like an excellent prop for the price.